American-carbohydrates-threaten-heart-smaller2.jpg' alt='Are Carbs Good For You' title='Are Carbs Good For You' />Eating Too Many Carbs The Signs You Cant Ignore. You feel like a slugistocksquaredpixels. You got a great nights sleep, but by 3 p. Eating too many carbs at breakfast and lunch could be to blame. Consuming carbs, particularly refined carbs and starches, can provide a short term rush of energy, explains Cassandra Suarez, MS, RDN. But once your body releases insulin to help regulate your blood sugar levels, those carbs, now turned into sugar, enter into your muscles, liver, and other organs to leave you feeling lethargic and tired. Swap out sugary cereal and pastries for a breakfast with more protein and some healthy carbs. New evidence shows that ketogenic diets protect the brain as mice age. And one day you might be able to buy a pill that does the same thing, without having to kiss. Headaches and constant hunger are just a few of the notsofun side effects of a lowcarb diet. By Dana Leigh Smith Carbs are to dieters as tarantulas are to, well. If it comes in a box and has a prominent whole grain sticker on it, youre barking up the wrong tree. Try a hearty bowl of oatmeal with nuts and berries, a whole wheat bagel with peanut butter, or eggs with whole wheat toast. Dont forget these tricks to make your breakfast healthier without even trying. This info graph is about the benefits of low carbohydrate foods and explains the difference between good carbs and bad carbs. Learn why you gain weight when. Dispel the most common myths about carbs from net carbs labels to avoiding carbs after training to prevent wreaking havoc on your digestive health. Your mood swingsistockhappyframe. Wide fluctuations in your blood sugar can make you feel irritable and moody. Sugar isnt the only thing that will spike your blood sugar, says Suarez. Refined carbohydrates, a fancy word to denote carbs that dont have much fiber, and starches, break down very quickly to sugar in the body and can cause highs in your blood sugar. The body responds by secreting insulin, leading to blood sugar lowsthat crash and burn, kind of feeling. The more carbs you eat, the more variations in your blood sugar and your mood, says Suarez. You crave sugaristockalija. Do you feel like doing a happy dance when you dive into a piece of chocolate cake or hoard sweets and nibble on them throughout the day If you crave sugar and cant imagine a day without it, you may be eating too many carbs. Summer Chili. Find out how to undo a sugar binge. Your brain increases dopamine in response, rewarding you for eating more sugar. When you eat foods with sugar or refined carbs, your brain lights up and stays that way, giving you constant food cravings. This is very similar to the excitement the brain receives from drugs and alcohol, says Suarez. A study showed that this food reward response occurred in obese children, but it also happens to adults. Content continues below ad. Youre hungry, againistockshotshare. You just inhaled a large bowl of pasta with bread sticks, but an hour later you find yourself nosing around the kitchen. How can that be Your bodys response to low blood sugar is hunger, says Suarez. So if you eat a lot of simple carbs pasta and bread are on that list, chances are you will have a lot more fluctuations in your blood sugar and feel even hungrier after your blood sugar crashes. The vicious cycle doesnt stop there. If you ignore the hunger and dont eat, your blood sugar remains low until your next meal. At this time, your body produces ghrelin, a hormone that increases appetite, leading you to overeat at your next meal, says Suarez. Swap out white pasta for whole grain, load up on a green salad with veggies, and pass on the bread sticks to feel fuller longer. Complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, provide important micronutrients and fiber and help to stabilize blood glucose levels better than simple or refined carbohydrates, says Cara Harbstreet, MS, RD, Street Smart Nutrition. These healthy, complex carbs are especially good for diabetics. You cant lose weightistockfredfroese. Youre cutting back on calories and even manage to get a regular workout in a few times a week, but the scale doesnt budge. What gives Every time you eat carbs, your body releases insulin. Insulin acts to store sugar as fat in your bodys cells. Insulin also inhibits fat breakdown, making it harder to lose weight, says Suarez. To stop sabotaging yourself, read the entire food label of any packaged goods you eat, not just the calorie info. Look at the total carbohydrates section, which includes the sugar and fiber information. When a food is higher in grams of sugar, it usually means the food contains more refined carbohydrates, which are in a simpler form and therefore easier for the body to digest and absorb very quickly, says Harbstreet. By comparison, foods that are high in fiber typically reflect a whole grain source of carbohydrate, which is a more complex form that is more slowly digested and absorbed. Which of these foods has more fibertake the quiz Your cholesterol is through the roofistockfredfroese. One clear effect of eating too many carbs is your cholesterol results. Too many unhealthy carbs are associated with lower levels of HDL good cholesterol and higher levels of LDL bad cholesterol and triglycerides, and that means a higher risk for heart disease. Check out these ways to prevent heart disease. Very high carbohydrate intakesof more than 6. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, says Suarez. Content continues below ad. Baby steps to eating healthier carbsistockdavidovich. Step one, start with breakfast. We tend to eat the majority of our protein at lunch and dinner, and breakfast tends to be higher in carbs. By prioritizing protein at your breakfast meal, you essentially kill two birds with one stone, says Harbstreet. You redistribute your protein intake for increased fullness and satiety, and replace breakfast foods that are typically high in sugar or refined carbohydrates. Next up, nix added sugars, which contribute to a lot of unnecessary carb calories. If you drink sugary sodas, a good baby step is to switch to a sugar free variety or try flavoring your drinks with fresh fruit. Finally, fill up on fiber. Its hard to give up old favorites like starchy potatoes, corn, and green peas but its certainly better to fill your plate with these instead of white rice or white bread. Be sure to leave the skin on your potatoes to get the full benefit of their fiber and vitaminmineral content, and whenever youre serving corn or peas in a recipe, consider adding an equal amount of non starchy vegetables or replacing some or all of them with your favorite veggie or leafy green, suggests Harbstreet. The 1. 3 Best Whole Grain Foods. If you ban all carbs, all the time, youre doing yourself a disservice and possibly cutting your life short, according to research from Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. The study is actually a meta analysis, published in the journal Circulation, which cross referenced 1. National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Researchers observed the daily habits of 7. The verdict People who ate 7. The researchers believe compounds in whole grains may contribute to the impressive health benefits. Whats more, whole grains high fiber content may lower cholesterol production and glucose response, and increase satiety. Your best bet is to choose wholesome sources of whole grains such as bran, oats, and quinoa that have at least 1. Oh, and nix the Cheetos. Unrefined carbs arent doing you any favors. Here, weve highlighted the best whole grains you can cook with and snack on. Protein Rich Paleo Recipes That Will Stack on Muscle. Reason 1 Carbs can help boost your mood. Researchers suspect that carbs promote the production of serotonin, a feelgood brain chemical. In a study from the Archives.